FRITILLARY ━ tam song

𝐕𝐈𝐈 - the fourth note

You groaned, rubbing your temples and thinking so hard your head hurt. It's been about a week since the last note came, and since the first two notes came in two days time, you had expected to receive another one, but none came.

It made you unsettled, but also somewhat relieved that you didn't have to go through all that.

But something in the air told you nothing was going to go back to the way it was before Inaie stopped appearing in your dreams, before your emotions spiked all over the place, and before you had to see the notes which were giving you nightmares.

Does anyone care?

No.

No one even knew what was happening.

Not even you yourself.

You didn't have any idea what was happening, or what was coming next, though there was really nothing you could do even if you did know, because your life was that unpredictable when there was no one that could help you.

It was impossible to ignore how vulnerable you really were, and once you saw that second note, you finally realized it after four years.

You thought you were the strongest, you wanted power, because no one bothered to listen to you when you begged them to.

What you wanted wasn't to do what was right.

What you wanted, was revenge.

And just as you realized that in your tent, a memory resurfaced from your pool of buried thoughts, and it had been replaying itself for days.

FIVE YEARS AGO...

"No!"

You didn't know how many times you had shouted that word now, but no one heeded the tiny nine-year-old tearing through the crowd that was you. "Nia!"

The Councillors sat on their thrones, Emery clicking the golden button on the armrest of his, which triggered mostly all the rest of the Councillors to follow his lead.

All of them, except one.

You screamed as loud as you could, pushing aside the elves in your way as you ran out to the podium. "Let Nia go!"

Kenric's grip faltered on his armrest, still not pressing the button that would ensure your twin sister to be Exiled. You didn't know why, but it definitely gave you more time.

Finally, you pushed to the front, no doubt getting bruises along the way as you leapt over the barrier and ran to your sister, who was trying her hardest to signal you away. "No!"

You grabbed her hand, and despite her being taller than you, tried to hug her to your chest. "Let Nia go! She did not!"

The Councillor's glared coldly at you, and Councillor Ramira tapped her nails against her throne, signaling for guards to come and take you away.

The second Nia saw them coming with melders, she let out a strangled cry and dove in front of you, taking the hit herself while you screamed, trying to dodge the remaining shots.

You screamed again, running to your sister and shaking her. "Nia! Nia! Wake!"

You wanted to cry, but you knew you had to stay strong for her, even though deep inside, you understood you were of no worth when it came to situations like these. You knew that you weren't normal, and nothing you did was going to get her out of the position you put her in.

You meant well, and she knew that, but you just really didn't know what was the best thing most of the time.

And it was coming back to bite right when you were counting on it not to.